It is known to use grooved serrations disposed in an interior surface of a terminal to enhance the mechanical and/or electrical connection between a wire cable that is attached to the terminal.
A number of conventional cross-sectional grooved serration profiles have been employed in the wiring art that include hardened teeth forms, irregular surfaces, saw tooth shapes, square or rectangular shapes, ridge-like tooth forms, and serrations with undercut sidewalls. Another type of conventional serration (1) defined in a terminal (2) used for aluminum cable wiring applications is shown in prior art FIG. 1. The serration (1) includes angular sidewalls (3) that respectively have a ramp angle Θ. The ramp angle Θ has an angular value of 84 degrees in relation to a plane (4) defined along a recessed surface (5) of the serration (1). With the ramp angle theta being 84 degrees the sidewalls (2) are angularly disposed at a corresponding draft angle α having an angular value of 6 degrees. The draft angle α facilitates the stamping of the serration (1) in the terminal (2) during the manufacturing process. The steep ramp angle Θ, however, may undesirably damage the wire strands of the aluminum cable when portions of the wire strands of the lead of the aluminum wire cable extrude into serration (1) when a crimp of the aluminum cable and the terminal (2) is formed. If a wire strand is nicked or cut while extruding in and filling the serration (1), this may undesirably reduce the surface area contact between the wire strand and the serration (1) which may undesirably increase the resistance of the crimp. Aluminum wire cable is becoming increasingly desired for use in motorized vehicular applications due to decreased weight and cost over similar copper-based wire cables. A vehicle using the aluminum wire cable may have less mass which may then desirably provide for increased fuel economy of the vehicle. A serration shape is desired that at least maintains or preferably enhances the mechanical and electrical properties in contrast to previously described conventional serrations of a crimp formed between the aluminum wire cable and the terminal that also allows for high-quality, high-speed manufacturing of the terminal from sheet metal stock.
Thus, what is needed is an electrical contact that includes a serration having a serration shape that maintains or enhances the mechanical and electrical properties of a crimp connection formed between an aluminum wire conductor and the electrical contact that also allows for high-quality, high-speed manufacturing of the electrical contact.